Despite a break for safety concerns, older kids at the Have Faith Haiti Mission enjoyed making new friends, and having new experiences at Camp Clos and Camp CTTPB.
Thank you to the donors who made it possible: Cynthia D., Kathleen V., Pam G., Hannah J., Thomas M., Kristi Z., Laurie K. Tori M., Vicki H., Caitlin W., Carol M., Linda B., Jonathan M., Theresa R., Sharon K., Rita R., Matthew S., Beatrice E., CD W., Cynthia S., and Tom T.
For the little ones who were too young to attend camp, joined by the older kids on off days, Have Faith Haiti was also home to one very important summer mission: transforming their environment, through learning and imagination, into the Amazon rainforest. They learned about two indigenous tribes that live in the rainforest, the Yanomami and the Baka, and divided into their own “tribes” in a four-week competition of various exercises and activities, culminating in a final performance: an original song, dance, chant, hand shake, and oral presentations in English and French.
And the winner is….Yanonami!
Join us October 14, 2018 for a one-night only special event celebrating the launch of Mitch Albom’s The Next Person You Meet in Heaven at the Detroit Opera House, benefitting the children of the Have Faith Haiti Mission and Detroit. Guests include Anderson Cooper, Jane Pauley, Sophia Bush, ‘The Detroiters’ stars Sam Richardson and Tim Robinson, Joe Dumars, Bob Costas, KEM, and a video appearance by Jim Harbaugh. Details and ticket information here.
In the 1990s, Staples aired a popular commercial about a parent’s joy at back-to-school shopping, calling it the “most wonderful time of the year.” We know Christmas in December (and July), but it looks like for frenzied parents eager to get back to a regular school schedule, September is another holiday season.
It’s not quite a holiday for us, but we certainly have a tradition, and it’s starting as of today: the back-to-school wishlist.
Every year, we open our school preparations to kind sponsors and supporters like you who, in turn, open your hearts to help equip our students with all they need for a successful school year. How successful? Well, our dearest Manno did so well on his TOEFL that he is starting Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan this fall.
While we take every effort to purchase all goods locally in Haiti, the protests in July have resulted in damage and looting to many stores we patronize, including Delimart, which was burned down and is hoping to rebuild within the next year. Regrettably, our efforts this year will have to prioritize maximizing our budget and that may mean purchasing some goods from U.S. vendors. We will also not be taking the students out to shop directly because the stores we will have to visit, like Maison Handel, survived the protests but are too far to safely transport all of the children. Instead, we will open a pop up “school store” on campus, and mimic the budgeting lesson on through another currency, like “points.”
We’ve divided up the wishlist by child and into $20 / $25 / $50 options. You can view it here.
Join us October 14, 2018 for a one-night only special event celebrating the launch of Mitch Albom’s The Next Person You Meet in Heaven at the Detroit Opera House, benefitting the children of the Have Faith Haiti Mission and Detroit. Guests include Anderson Cooper, Jane Pauley, Sophia Bush, ‘The Detroiters’ stars Sam Richardson and Tim Robinson, Joe Dumars, Bob Costas, KEM, and a video appearance by Jim Harbaugh. Details and ticket information here.
As is tradition, the annual English spelling bee is always followed by a French one. The Have Faith Haiti Mission School is an école bilinguale, or bilingual school. Sudents learn four hours of English and three hours of French every school day, with a curriculum designed to reach all Haitian academic standards as well as prepare students for any TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) standardized tests.
And so we present, without further ado, the winners of this year’s concours d’orthographe for the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh grade French classes held at the end of June.
See some familiar faces and names below? It’s no surprise. Some of our best French spellers have quite a knack for it in English, too! Another common theme? Ties!
Level Four
Tied for first place for Primary 2 with Nickenson, Josue and Bettinie once again found themselves equally matched in French.
Level Five
Enolyka and Louvenson are once again head-to-head as they were last year in French, and a few weeks ago in the English spelling bee, Primary 4 division.
Level Six
Widley and Appoloste just can’t seem to stop tying for first place, as they did with Djouna in the English bee, Senior level.
Level Seven
Chivensky (last year’s winner) and Nahoum in another tie.
Late last week, protests erupted in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and in the northern city of Cap-Haitien, after the the government announced a price increase of 38 percent to 51 percent for gasoline, diesel and kerosene. U.S. State Department issued an alert Sunday urging its citizens on the island to shelter in place, and many flights have been cancelled and road are unsafe.
The situation in Haiti is dire and we feel it at the Have Faith Haiti Mission. Some of our older children were at summer jobs and got caught in the protests and could not get home. They slept at offices. Members of our staff were also caught in the disturbances and had to abandon cars and walk. Thankfully, now, all of our children and extended family are safe and on our premises. For the moment, our supplies will hold. But getting around is difficult and dangerous. Our children are being loved and watched over, which is our mission there, and we thank everyone for their inquiries and prayers.
Many beloved shops and restaurants frequented by our children for special occasions have been caught in the blazes set by protestors, and we pray for the safety and wellbeing of our community.
The spring 2018 edition of a beloved Have Faith Haiti Mission tradition.
With four categories of classes participating in this year’s spelling bee, we had more winners & three-way ties than ever before!
In our Junior Spelling Bee, which consisted of Primary 2 students, Ms. Cara couldn’t defeat competitors with words like, “isthmus,” “archipelago,” “igneous,” and “accurate.” After a nail-biting finish, Nickenson, Bettinie and Josue stood proudly as our three winners. Lorvens earned our runner-up title.
At our Intermediate level, comprised of Primary 4 students, Louvenson and Enolyka tied for first after correctly spelling words like, “adenosine triphosphate,” “Proterozoic,” “amniotes,” “Ordovician,” and “mitochondria.” Cinlove fought for, and won, the runner-up position.
In our Senior competition, the Collѐge 1 students confidently breezed through words like, “Taiga,” “Apatosaurus,” “Cenozoic,” and “Eocene.” Widley refused to hand over his title as reigning champ, yet Djouna and Appoloste wouldn’t settle for second. Results ended with another three-way tie. Bianka took home the runner-up title.
Our oldest class, comprised of Collѐge 2 students, competed for the Advanced title. Students refused to surrender to words like, “Chiroptera,” “stalagmites,” “Haplorhini,” “pachyderm,” and “Tertiary.” Unfortunately, Junie-Anna was eventually taken down with, “paradoxically,” making her our runner-up and giving Edney the winning title.
Each winner earned a shopping trip to the local market where they picked a prize of their choosing, including watches, bottles, toy cars, and sunglasses.
Make your check payable to “Have Faith Haiti Mission” and send to
Have Faith Haiti Mission
c/o A Hole in the Roof Foundation
29836 Telegraph Road
Southfield, MI 48034
Have Faith Haiti is operated by the A Hole in the Roof Foundation, a 501(c)(3) org (TAX ID# 27-0609504). Donations are tax deductible.
About the Mission
The Have Faith Haiti Mission is a special place of love and caring, dedicated to the safety, education, health and spiritual development of Haiti’s impoverished children and orphans. You can learn more here.
It’s time to answer some questions.
There has been a great deal of media attention to the evacuation of our staff, volunteers, and founder. It’s likely you’ve read or watched the story by now.
Our founder, Mitch Albom, addresses the questions that may be running through your head; they are likely the ones we grapple with every day.
